THE Dons keeper believes that most people expected Aberdeen to drop points when they returned to league duty after their cup double header and says that he and his team-mates have passed another test of character. Read the full report from the match and watch the video highlights.

Adam Rooney opens the scoring for Aberdeen from the penalty spot after Peter Pawlett was fouled by Eric Djemba-Djemba

JAMIE LANGFIELD admits there was an expectancy Aberdeen would suffer an almighty fall in Paisley after their Parkhead heroics.

Crushing lows after experiencing brief highs have become the norm for the Pittodrie club in recent seasons.

So it was natural for even the most optimistic Aberdeen supporter to expect disappointment after watching their club reach the final of the League Cup one week and then dump Celtic on their own patch in the Scottish Cup the next.

Manager Derek McInnes even warned his players about living up to their own stereotype.

But events at St Mirren Park reinforced the fact that the soft-centre which plagued Aberdeen for the best part of a generation appears to be a thing of the past.

The men from the Granite city have developed a rock-hard exterior under McInnes and Langfield, below, insists it was their new sense of belief which carried them over the line against a dogged Saints.

He said: “It wasn’t the greatest of games but coming away with three points is a huge boost for us.

“We knew it was going to be difficult due to the highs of the last couple of weeks so three points is so important.

“The manager spoke prior to the game about people expecting us to fall after the highs of the previous weeks.

“We didn’t cover ourselves in glory with the performance but we have strong players mentally.

“It was all about mentality and to get the result was huge for us. We also did it without Jonny Hayes and Barry Robson, who is a huge influence on the pitch and in the changing room.”

But Langfield also played his part in ensuring the Dons made the long trek home with another three points.

The big keeper was a virtual spectator throughout a turgid encounter but was alert enough in the 87th minute to pull off a wonderful save to deny Greg Wylde.

A typically modest Langfield put his stop down to luck more than anything else but, given Wylde’s well struck volley was travelling at pace through a ruck of players, it was an extraordinary effort.

He said: “If he doesn’t catch it right then it just sneaks in. He caught it really well and I’ve just flicked out a leg and managed to get to it.

“It’s good to make saves at that point of the game when they end up crucial. The concentration comes with confidence. I have so much confidence in my defence and they have confidence in me at the moment.

“When you are doing well as a team everything seems to come off for you.”

Aberdeen have now won 11 of their last 14 games and are undoubtedly Scotland’s second force behind runaway Premiership leaders, Celtic.

Langfield believes the recent success has made them a target and he knows they can’t afford to rest on their laurels if they want to keep making progress.

He said: “It’s up to us to raise the bar again because we want to stay where we are in the league. The cups will take care of themselves.

“People may look at us as a big scalp but we just have to keep doing the same. St Mirren made it tough for us but we managed to come up with the answers.”

The Buddies’ tactics were a huge compliment to the job McInnes is doing.

Given the desperate run they are on at the moment, Danny Lennon would have been encouraged by aspects of his team’s display despite the disappointing outcome.

Collectively they did an excellent job of snuffing out Dons’ threat – only once this season have Aberdeen failed to score on their travels, against Ross County in Dingwall last month. So the negative approach from the home side was understandable to a degree.

And the game plan would have worked to perfection if it hadn’t been for the sheer lunacy of Djemba-Djemba.

A distraught Lennon said: “The players did everything that was asked of them and we nullified a high-flying Aberdeen. There was little between the sides but, again, a decision has gone against us.

“It was a ridiculous decision by Eric, for a man who has that experience, but that is something we have to live with.

“You need to be 99 per cent certain of taking the ball in that area at that stage of the match. It is tough to take because I think it was the right performance but the wrong result.”

It was a dreadful error of judgement from the former Manchester United and Aston Villa midfielder but the debate about whether the lunge took place inside or outside the box continues to rage with Djemba-Djemba and Lennon claiming ref Calum Murray called it wrong.